System and method for providing electronic devices to order

ABSTRACT

A system and method of specifying reconfigure to order electronic devices is disclosed. A customer interacts with a reseller to specify the electronic device they wish to purchase, any software to be loaded on the electronic device prior to shipment. A portion of the software is provided by the customer to the reseller. An electronic device is selected from inventory stock and reconfigured. The electronic device is delivered to the customer capable of being used within the customer&#39;s specific application without further configuration by the customer.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation under 37 C.F.R. § 1.53(b) of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 09/791,340 filed Feb. 23, 2001 (AttorneyDocket No. 6270/47) now U.S. Pat. No. ______, the entire disclosure ofwhich is hereby incorporated by reference. U.S. patent application Ser.No. 09/791,340 incorporated by reference U.S. patent application Ser.No. 09/792,699, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,671,635.

BACKGROUND

With the advent of high technology needs and market deregulation,today's energy market has become very dynamic. High technologyindustries have increased their demands on the electrical powersupplier, requiring more power, increased reliability and lower costs. Atypical computer data center may use 100 to 300 watts of power persquare foot compared to an average of 15 watts per square foot for atypical commercial building. Further, an electrical outage, whether itis a complete loss of power or simply a drop in the delivered voltage,can cost these companies millions of dollars in down time and lostbusiness.

In addition, deregulation of the energy industry is allowing bothindustrial and individual consumers the unprecedented capability tochoose their supplier which is fostering a competitive supply/demanddriven market in what was once a traditionally monopolistic industry.

The requirements of increased demand and higher reliability areburdening an already overtaxed distribution network and forcingutilities to invest in infrastructure improvements at a time when thederegulated competitive market is forcing them to cut costs and lowerprices. Further, consumers of electrical power are increasinglymonitoring and managing their own consumption in an effort to reducecosts and utilize their energy resources in the most efficient manner.

In order to meet these needs, both suppliers and consumers areinstalling ever larger numbers of Intelligent Electronic Devices (“IED”)throughout their facilities and energy distribution networks. IED's areintelligent power management devices designed to measure, manage andcontrol the distribution and consumption of electrical power. Oneparticular consumer or supplier may have hundreds or even thousands ofIED's in place throughout their facilities (which may consist ofmultiple installations located in many disparate geographic locales) tomanage their energy resources, with many more spare IED's in inventoryas backups. Typically, these IED's are highly configured andtailored/customized to the specific applications and requirements ofthat consumer or supplier.

As the consumer or supplier updates or expands their operations, theymust often order new or updated IED's either to replace outdated orbroken devices or to meet the needs of their expansion. Typically, theywill order generic devices from the manufacturer and configure themon-site prior to installation, for example, in an on-site “meter shop.”For large numbers of IED's, this can be a very tedious, time consumingand resource intensive, i.e. expensive, process, requiring highlyskilled personnel. Especially if the consumer or supplier runs anexpansive operation and/or fails to keep track of the different IEDconfigurations that they already have in place.

Accordingly, there is a need for a system and method for ordering IED'sfrom a manufacturer that, when delivered to the electrical energyconsumer or supplier, are fully configured to that customer's specificneeds and ready for installation “out of the box.”

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts the structure of a framework module for use with thepreferred embodiments

FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary framework module according to FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary framework incorporating the module of FIG.1.

FIGS. 4-6 depict exemplary screen displays from the preferred frameworkdevelopment system along with exemplary frameworks.

FIG. 7 illustrates an overview of the preferred embodiment of customerand ordering interaction with the preferred order processing interface.

FIG. 8 illustrates a more detailed overview of the preferred embodimentof customer and ordering interaction for specifying custom IEDconfigurations.

FIG. 9 illustrates a preferred order processing interface according tothe preferred embodiments.

FIG. 10 illustrates the interface for specifying custom IEDconfigurations.

FIG. 11 illustrates a preferred embodiment of a new order interface.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a portion of a power distribution systemthat includes an embodiment of an intelligent electronic device.

FIG. 13 is a graph illustrating one example of a characteristic curvefor a current sensor.

FIG. 14 is a graph illustrating another example of a characteristiccurve for a current sensor.

FIG. 15 is a graph illustrating yet another example of a characteristiccurve for a current sensor.

FIG. 16 is a graph illustrating one example of a characteristic curvefor a voltage sensor.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a portion of a networkdistribution system that includes the intelligent electronic deviceillustrated in FIG. 12.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram of another embodiment of a portion of anetwork distribution system that includes the intelligent electronicdevice illustrated in FIG. 12.

FIG. 19 is a first part of a flow diagram depicting operation of thenetwork distribution systems illustrated in FIGS. 17 and 18.

FIG. 20 is a second part of the flow diagram of FIG. 19.

FIG. 21 is a block diagram of a portion of a power distribution systemthat includes another embodiment of an intelligent electronic device.

FIG. 22 is a first part of a flow diagram depicting operation of theintelligent electronic device illustrated in FIG. 21.

FIG. 23 is a second part of the flow diagram of FIG. 22.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Intelligent electronic devices (“IED's”) such as programmable logiccontrollers (“PLC's”), Remote Terminal Units (“RTU's”), electric/watthour/energy meters, protection relays and fault recorders are widelyavailable that make use of memory and microprocessors to provideincreased versatility and additional functionality. Such functionalityincludes the ability to communicate with remote computing systems,either via a direct connection, e.g. modem or via a network. For moredetailed information regarding IED's capable of network communication,please refer to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/723,564, entitled“INTRA-DEVICE COMMUNICATIONS ARCHITECTURE FOR MANAGING ELECTRICAL POWERDISTRIBUTION AND CONSUMPTION”, filed Nov. 28, 2000. In particular, themonitoring of electrical power, especially the measuring and calculatingof electrical parameters, provides valuable information for powerutilities and their customers. Monitoring of electrical power isimportant to ensure that the electrical power is effectively andefficiently generated, distributed and utilized.

As used herein, Intelligent electronic devices (“IED's”) includeProgrammable Logic Controllers (“PLC's”), Remote Terminal Units(“RTU's”), electric power (watt/hour) meters, protective relays, faultrecorders and other devices which are coupled with power distributionnetworks to manage and control the distribution and consumption ofelectrical power. Such devices typically utilize memory andmicroprocessors executing software to implement the desired powermanagement function. IED's include on-site devices coupled withparticular loads or portions of an electrical distribution system andare used to monitor and manage power generation, distribution andconsumption. IED's are also referred herein as power management devices(“PMD's”). While the preferred embodiments will be described in relationto revenue type electric watt/hour meters (“revenue meter” or “meter”),one will appreciate that they are applicable to all IED's as definedabove.

A Remote Terminal Unit (“RTU”) is a field device installed on anelectrical power distribution system at the desired point of metering.It is equipped with input channels (for sensing or metering), outputchannels (for control, indication or alarms) and a communications port.Metered information is typically available through a communicationprotocol via a serial communication port. An exemplary RTU is the XPSeries, manufactured by Quindar Productions Ltd. in Mississauga,Ontario, Canada.

A Programmable Logic Controller (“PLC”) is a solid-state control systemthat has a user-programmable memory for storage of instructions toimplement specific functions such as Input/output (I/O) control, logic,timing, counting, report generation, communication, arithmetic, and datafile manipulation. A PLC consists of a central processor, input outputinterface, and memory. A PLC is designed as an industrial controlsystem. An exemplary PLC is the SLC 500 Series, manufactured byAllen-Bradley in Milwaukee, Wis.

A meter or electric watt hour meter or electric energy meter is a devicethat measures and records the consumption of electric power. Inaddition, meters may also measure and record power events, powerquality, current, voltage waveforms, harmonics, transients and otherpower disturbances. Revenue accurate meters (“revenue meter”) relate torevenue accuracy electrical power metering devices with the ability todetect, monitor, report, quantify and communicate power qualityinformation about the power which they are metering. An exemplaryrevenue meter is the model 8500 meter, manufactured by Power MeasurementLtd, in Saanichton, B.C. Canada.

A protective relay is an electrical device that is designed to interpretinput conditions in a prescribed manner, and after specified conditionsare met, to cause contact operation or similar abrupt change inassociated electric circuits. A relay may consist of several relayunits, each responsive to a specified input, with the combination ofunits providing the desired overall performance characteristics of therelay. Inputs are usually electric but may be mechanical, thermal orother quantity, or a combination thereof. An exemplary relay is the typeN and KC, manufactured by ABB in Raleigh, N.C.

A fault recorder is a device that records the waveform and digitalinputs, such as breaker status which resulting from a fault in a line,such as a fault caused by a break in the line. An exemplary faultrecorder is the IDM, manufactured by Hathaway Corp in Littleton, Colo.

Various different arrangements are presently available for monitoring,measuring, and controlling power parameters. Typically, an IED, such asan individual power measuring device, is placed on a given branch orline proximate to one or more loads which are coupled with the branch orline in order to measure/monitor power system parameters. Herein, thephrase “coupled with” is defined to mean directly connected to orindirectly connected with through one or more intermediate components.Such intermediate components may include both hardware and softwarebased components. In addition to monitoring power parameters of acertain load(s), such power monitoring devices have a variety of otherapplications. For example, power monitoring devices can be used insupervisory control and data acquisition (“SCADA”) systems such as theXA/21 Energy Management System manufactured by GE Harris Energy ControlSystems located in Melbourne, Fla.

In a typical SCADA application, IED's/power measuring devicesindividually dial-in to a central SCADA computer system via a modem.However, such dial-in systems are limited by the number of inboundtelephone lines to the SCADA computer and the availability of phoneservice access to the IED/power measuring devices. With a limited numberof inbound telephone lines, the number of IED's that can simultaneouslyreport their data is limited resulting in limited data throughput anddelayed reporting. Further, while cellular based modems and cellularsystem access are widely available, providing a large number of powermeasuring devices with phone service is cumbersome and often costprohibitive. The overall result is a system that is not easily scalableto handle a large number of IED's or the increased bandwidth andthroughput requirements of advanced power management applications.However, the ability to use a computer network infrastructure, such asthe Internet, allows for the use of power parameter and datatransmission and reporting on a large scale. The Internet provides aconnectionless point to point communications medium that is capable ofsupporting substantially simultaneous communications among a largenumber of devices. Alternatively, other type of networks could also beused such as intranets, extranets, or combinations thereof includingvirtual private networks. For example this existing Internetinfrastructure can be used to simultaneously push out billing, loadprofile, or power quality data to a large number of IED's locatedthroughout a power distribution system that can be used by those devicesto analyze or make intelligent decisions based on power consumption attheir locations. The bandwidth and throughput capabilities of theInternet supports the additional requirements of advanced powermanagement applications. For example, billing data, or other certifiedrevenue data, must be transferred through a secure process whichprevents unauthorized access to the data and ensures receipt of the databy the appropriate device or entity. Utilizing the Internet,communications can be encrypted such as by using encrypted email.Further, encryption authentication parameters such as time/date stamp orthe IED serial number, can be employed. Within the Internet, there aremany other types of communications applications that may be employed tofacilitate the above described inter-device communications such as hypertext transfer protocol (“HTTP”), email, Telnet, file transfer protocol(“FTP”), trivial file transfer protocol (“TFTP”) or proprietary systems,both unsecured and secure/encrypted.

A typical customer or supplier of electrical energy may have hundred'sof IED's installed throughout their operation. With the advent ofscalable networking, as described above, customers/suppliers areinstalling even more IED's to better manage their electrical powerneeds. While these IED devices are typically installed as part of asystem, each may be required to be individually customized, configuredand programmed for a specific application by the end user. In certainapplications multiple devices must be customized with the sameinformation. Giving the consumer the ability to customize single ormultiple devices prior to receipt in the supply chain or at themanufacturing point of these devices is extremely advantageous and costeffective.

An IED consists of two main parts, hardware and software. The hardwareincludes the components which actually connect to the power distributionsystem to measure parameters or control the flow of electrical power.The hardware may further include display devices, local or remote,communications devices such as modems or network interfaces, orcombinations thereof. It will be appreciated that an IED may comprisemany different hardware components now or later developed. The varioushardware components may be divided into two categories, those that arestandard, i.e. included by default, with a particular type and model ofIED and those that are optional and may or may not be included. Thedetermination of which hardware is standard and which is optional isdependent upon the manufacturer and how they design their IED's. Anoption on one model of IED may be standard on another model.

The other main part of an IED is the software. The software includesfirmware software and applications software. Firmware is the low leveloperating code which enables the IED hardware to function. The firmwareprovides the basic operating capability. The firmware may also bereferred to the operating system. The firmware may include standard aswell as optional components where the optional components may be used tosupport optional hardware.

The applications software includes one or more software programsdesigned to utilize and manipulate the IED and data that it measures andcontrols. Applications software may include measurement and recordingapplications, measurement and control applications, communicationsapplications, etc. The applications software further includes standardapplications software and custom applications software. Standardapplications software includes those applications developed by themanufacturer and provided with the IED. Standard applications softwaretypically performs the basic function for which the IED is designed.Custom applications software include those applications developed by anend user of the IED and which are specifically tailored to the needs ofthat particular end user. Custom applications software may also bedeveloped by third parties or by the IED manufacturer. Customapplications software usually performs more complicated and customerspecific operations. In the preferred embodiments, the applicationssoftware is developed within a software development environment known asION (described in more detail below). Each software application programis referred to as a “framework” (described in more detail below).Standard or custom frameworks, or combinations thereof, are loaded onthe IED to control the functions of the IED and direct the performanceof a particular power management application.

In one embodiment, the custom software provided by the end user includescharacteristic curves/data which improves the accuracy of an IED, asdescribed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/792,699 now U.S. Pat.No. 6,671,635 which was incorporated by reference in the parentapplication (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/791,340) captionedabove and now incorporated explicitly as follows:

Monitoring of electrical energy by consumers and providers of electricpower is a fundamental function within any electric power distributionsystem. Electrical energy may be monitored for purposes of usage,equipment performance and power quality. Electrical parameters that maybe monitored include volts, amps, watts, vars, power factor, harmonics,kilowatt hours, kilovar hours and other power related measurementparameters. Typically, measurement of the voltage and current at alocation within the electric power distribution system may be used todetermine the electrical parameters at that location.

The voltage and current may be detected directly or using a transformersuch as a current transformer or a potential (voltage) transformer.Transformers are typically used where the voltage and/or current areoutside the acceptable range of devices used to monitor the electricalenergy. Transformation of the magnitude of the voltage or current bytransformers may be represented by a ratio. The ratio represents thedifference between the voltage or current of the detected electricalenergy and the corresponding voltage or current output from thetransformer.

Transformers may be classified according to accuracy. Classificationprovides a comparative indication of the accuracy of transformation of agiven transformer. An example accuracy classification system is providedby the ANSI/IEEE C57.13-1978 standard. In the ANSI/IEEE C57.13 standard,the accuracy classes are established based on the percentage oftransformation error a transformer exhibits at a particular voltageand/or current, frequency and burden. The transformation error is thedifference between the design ratio and the actual ratio under operatingconditions. The burden is the amount of electrical load connected to theoutput of the transformer and may be expressed as volt-amperes (VA) andpower factor, or as total ohms impedance with an effective resistanceand reactive component.

A known problem with existing systems of accuracy classification is therelatively large differences in the percentage of transformation errorthat may be acceptable within a given accuracy classification. Inaddition, some existing systems of accuracy classification use apredetermined set of testing parameters that may not represent actualoperating conditions. Further, accuracy of the transformation of thevoltage and current may vary as system conditions vary. Inaccuracy inthe transformation creates inaccuracies in the electrical parametersderived from the transformed voltages and currents.

Where the electrical parameters are used, for example, for measuringenergy usage by a device or facility, the inaccuracy may result inerroneous billing. Further, consumers of energy that are interested inthe quality of the energy supply may be provided flawed data. Inaddition, in instances where energy usage is controlled based on currentsystem conditions, inaccuracy of the amount of energy being consumed mayresult in erroneous control decisions. Accordingly, a need exists forsystems capable of providing improved monitoring accuracy to provideprecise measurement and reporting of electrical parameters.

The disclosed embodiments relate to a system for improving the accuracyof measurement of electrical energy using metering sensors. Improvedaccuracy may be realized by developing characteristic curves based onactual operating conditions with the metering sensors. Thecharacteristic curves may be used by an intelligent electronic device toimprove overall accuracy. The characteristic curves may be generated bythe intelligent electronic device or generated and transferred to theintelligent electronic device.

FIG. 12 illustrates a block diagram representation of an embodiment of aportion of a power distribution system 1010. The power distributionsystem 1010 includes a plurality of conductors 1012 and an intelligentelectronic device (IED) 1014. The conductors 1012 are connected with theIED 1014 as illustrated. As used herein, the term “connected” or“coupled” may mean electrically connected, optically coupled or anyother form of coupling allowing the flow of data, electricity or somerepresentation thereof between devices and components that are connectedor coupled.

The conductors 1012 may be, for example, electric transmission lines,electric distribution lines, power cables, bus duct or any othermaterial capable of conducting electrical energy. The conductors 1012are operable to allow the flow of electrical energy therethrough. Theconductors 1012 are illustratively depicted in FIG. 12 in a three-phasecircuit configuration; however the phase configuration is not limited tothree-phases.

The IED 1014 may be a programmable logic controller (PLC), a remoteterminal unit (RTU), an electronic power meter, a protective relay, afault recorder or other similar intelligent device capable of monitoringelectrical energy. In addition, the IED 1014 may perform other functionssuch as, for example, power distribution system protection, managementof power generation, management of energy distribution and management ofenergy consumption. In one embodiment, the IED 1014 includes a pluralityof metering sensors 1016, a line frequency measurement circuit 1018, ananalog-to-digital (A/D) converter circuit 1020, a digital signalprocessing (DSP) circuit 1022, a central processing unit (CPU) 1024, IEDmemory 1026 and a communications circuit 1028 connected as illustratedin FIG. 12.

In addition, the IED 1014 includes a power supply 1030 that is connectedwith the conductors 1012. The power supply 1030 may provide a source ofpower to energize the IED 1014. In one embodiment, the power supply 1030uses the electrical energy flowing on the conductors 1012 as an energysource. Alternatively, the power supply 1030 may use other energysources, such as, for example, an uninterruptible power source,batteries or some other source of power.

During operation of the power distribution system 1010, the IED 1014monitors the electrical energy present in the conductors 1012. Theelectrical energy is transformed by the metering sensors 1016 andprovided as an output to the IED 1014. The output may be used by the IED1014 to derive, store and display various electrical parametersindicative of the electrical energy present in the conductors 1012. TheIED 1014 may selectively apply a plurality of characteristic curves, aswill be hereinafter described, to improve the accuracy of the electricalparameters derived from the output of the metering sensors 1016.

The metering sensors 1016 may be any device capable of sensing theelectrical energy present in the conductors 1012 and providingcorresponding electrical signals. As illustrated in FIG. 12, themetering sensors 1016 may be mounted within and forming a part of theIED 1014. Alternatively, the metering sensors 1016 may be separatedevices mounted away from the IED 1014, mounted on the IED 1014, or acombination of both. The metering sensors 1016 of the illustratedembodiment include a current sensor 1032 and a voltage sensor 1034.Although only one current sensor 1032 and one voltage sensor 1034 areillustrated in FIG. 12, any number of metering sensors 1016 may beincluded in other embodiments.

The current sensor 1032 may be, for example, a current transformer (CT)or other similar device capable of measuring current flowing in one ormore of the conductors 1012. Well known types of current sensors 1032include a wound type, a bar type, a bushing type, a window type, aclamp-on type, an optical type, a Rogoski coil type or a hall effecttype. The current sensor 1032 may include a primary winding 1036 formeasuring the primary current flowing in the conductors 1012, and asecondary winding 1038 for outputting a secondary current in directproportion, and at a relationship, to the primary current.

The technique for measuring the current flowing in the conductors 1012varies with the type of the current sensor 1032. The current sensor 1032may be connected in series with one or more of the conductors 1012. Inthis configuration, the primary current flowing through the conductors1012 also flows through the current sensors 1032. Alternatively, thecurrent sensor 1032 may include a window (not shown) positioned tosurround a portion of one or more of the conductors 1012. The window maybe positioned such that the electromagnetic effect of the voltage andthe current flowing through the conductors 1012 induces a current andvoltage output from the current sensor 1032.

The current sensor 1032 may step down, or transform, the primary currentflowing in the conductors 1012. The primary current may be transformedto a corresponding electrical signal that is compatible with the IED1014. The primary current may be transformed to a range of, for example,1 to 5 amperes by the current sensor 1032. The current sensor 1032 mayalso operate to isolate the IED 1014 from the voltage present on theconductors 1012.

The voltage sensor 1034 may be any device capable of measuring thevoltage present on the conductors 1012. One example of the voltagesensor 1034 is a potential transformer (PT) that may be, for example, amultiple winding step-up or step-down transformer. In one embodiment,the voltage sensor 1034 may be a single-phase device connected inparallel with one of the conductors 1012. The primary voltage on theconductors 1012 may be measured by a primary winding 1036. A secondaryvoltage representing a stepped down version of the primary voltage maybe an output from a secondary winding 1038. During operation, voltagepresent on the conductors 1012 is transformed, by the voltage sensor1034, to an electrical signal compatible with the IED 1014. Thesecondary voltage may be, for example, a voltage in a range around 120VAC.

In one embodiment, the metering sensors 1016 transform the voltage orcurrent received at the primary winding 1036 based on a ratio. The ratioprovides a relationship between the voltage or current present on theconductors 1012 and the corresponding output of the metering sensors1016. The metering sensors 1016 may be manufactured with a single ratio,or multiple ratios that may be selected by, for example, taps located onthe metering sensors 1016.

The metering sensors 1016 may also include an identifier. The identifiermay uniquely identify each of the metering sensors 1016. Alternatively,the identifier may uniquely identify a predetermined group of meteringsensors 1016. The identifier may, for example, be an identificationnumber, such as, a serial number or a part number. Alternatively, theidentifier may be letters, numbers or a combination of both. Theidentifier may be designated by the manufacturer of the metering sensors1016 or may be designated as a result of development of characteristiccurves as will be hereinafter described.

During operation, the metering sensors 1016 sense the electrical energyon the conductors 1012 and output a corresponding electrical signal. Inone embodiment, the electrical signal is an analog signal that isreceived by the A/D converter circuit 1020. In another embodiment, themetering sensors 1016 may provide an output in the form of a digitalsignal and the A/D converter circuit 1020 may not be required.

The A/D converter circuit 1020 may be any circuit operable to convertanalog signals to corresponding digital signals. During operation, theA/D converter circuit 1020 receives the output from the metering sensors1016. The output may be received by the A/D converter circuit 1020 inthe form of analog signals and may be converted to digital signals byany of a number of well-known techniques. In one embodiment, the A/Dconverter circuit 1020 may also perform amplification and conditioningduring conversion. The resulting digital signals may then be passed tothe DSP circuit 1022.

The DSP circuit 1022 may be any circuit that performs signal processingand enhancement. The DSP circuit 1022 may be used in conjunction withthe A/D converter circuit 1020 in a well-known manner to enhance thequality of the digital signals. Enhancement may include, for example,noise removal, dynamic range and frequency response modification or anyother technique for enhancing digital signals. Following processing bythe DSP circuit 1022, the digital signals are provided to the CPU 1024.

As further illustrated in FIG. 12, the line frequency measurementcircuit 1018 may also receive the output from the secondary winding 1038of the voltage sensor 1034. The line frequency measurement circuit 1018may be any circuit that performs frequency measurement of the outputprovided by the voltage sensor 1034. During operation, the linefrequency measurement circuit 1018 receives the output from the voltagesensor 1034. The output may be used to determine the frequency of theprimary voltage using well-known frequency measurement techniques. Thefrequency, along with any other frequency related information, may beconverted to digital signals by the line frequency measurement circuit1018 and provide to the CPU 1024. Alternatively, the line frequencymeasurement circuit 1018 may provide analog signals to the CPU 1024.

The CPU 1024 may be a microprocessor, a control unit or any other devicecapable of processing instruction sets. The CPU 1024 may receive andprocess electrical signals representative of the electrical energyflowing on the conductors 1012 to derive the electrical parameters. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the CPU 1024 may process the digital signalsprovided by the line frequency measurement circuit 1018 and the DSPcircuit 1022. The digital signals may be used to derive, for example,the voltage, current, watts, vars, volt amps, power factor, frequencyand any other electrical parameters related to the electrical energypresent on the conductors 1012. In addition, electrical parametersrelating to energy consumption such as, for example, kilowatt hours,kilovar hours, kilovolt amp hours and other time-based electricalparameters relating to the electrical energy may be calculated by theCPU 1024.

The CPU 1024 may also utilize characteristic curves corresponding toeach of the metering sensors 1016. The characteristic curves representerror correction to improve the overall accuracy of the IED 1014. Thecharacteristic curves may be applied by the CPU 1024 to the electricalparameters measured and/or derived by the IED 1014. The electricalparameters may be adjusted as a function of the characteristic curves toimprove accuracy in the operating characteristics of a particularmetering sensor 1016. In addition, the characteristic curves maycompensate for any other inaccuracies, such as, for example, thoseintroduced by processing within the IED 1014. The characteristic curvesmay be stored in the IED memory 1026 that is connected with the CPU1024.

The IED memory 1026 of one embodiment may be a non-volatile memory, suchas for example a flash memory device or other similar memory storagedevice in communication with the CPU 1024. In another embodiment, theIED memory 1026 may include both non-volatile memory and volatilememory. In this embodiment, the volatile memory may store thecharacteristic curves and the non-volatile memory may store operationalcode used for operation of the IED 1014. The operational code mayinclude instructions to retrieve and store the characteristic curves inthe volatile memory when the IED 1014 is energized. Retrieval of thecharacteristic curves may be performed by the IED 1014 as willhereinafter discussed.

The characteristic curves may be stored in the form of, for example, atable, a representative mathematical formula or any other method ofrepresenting error correction as a function of the operating range ofone of the electrical parameters. A table may be used by the IED 1014 todetermine points along the characteristic curve based on interpolationor other similar methods of extrapolation. Mathematical formulasrepresentative of the characteristic curves may be empirically derivedbased on curve fitting of experimental data. For example, onecharacteristic curve may be determined to fit:φ=aI ^(b) +c   Equation 1where φ may represent the phase error of the sensor, I may represent thecurrent and a, b and c may represent constants that define thecharacteristics of the characteristic curve. Another exemplary equationfor representing a characteristic curve is given by:φ=ae ^(bI) +ce ^(dI)   Equation 2where d may represent another constant. Other equations andcorresponding constants may be empirically derived for inaccuracyresulting from for example, ratio error, temperature, harmonics, noiseand any other varying characteristic that may affect the accuracy of theIED 1014.

Calculations to determine the constants may be performed by a number ofwell-known techniques. In one technique, a number of test points may beplotted graphically to develop the characteristic curves. The quantityof test points plotted may be a function of the amount of non-linearvariation in the charateristic curve. The resulting constants may thenbe manually entered into the IED 1014 or electronically transferred tothe IED 1014 as will be hereinafter discussed. In another embodiment,the IED 1014 may compute and store the constants during development ofthe characteristic curves.

FIGS. 13, 14 and 15 are some examples of characteristic curves that maybe generated for a particular current sensor 1032 (FIG. 12). FIG. 13represents, for a particular burden and frequency, a phase error 1050for a range of primary current 1052. The phase error 1050 is alsoreferred to as phase angle and may represent the difference between thephase of the primary current 1052 and the phase of a secondary current(not shown). The phase error 1050 may be used to adjust the phase of thesecondary current during operation of the IED 1014 based on themagnitude of the primary current 1052.

Similarly, FIG. 14 represents, for a predetermined burden and frequency,an amplitude error 1054 for a range of the primary current 1052. Theamplitude error 1054 may also be referred to as a ratio error andrepresents the error in the transformation ratio when the primarycurrent 1052 is transformed to a secondary current (not shown). FIG. 15illustrates, for a predetermined burden and primary current, a phaseerror 1056 for a range of frequency 1058. The phase error 1056represents the difference between the phase of a secondary current (notshown) and the phase of a primary current (not shown in FIG. 15) as thefrequency 1058 is varied.

FIG. 16 is an exemplary illustration of a characteristic curve for thevoltage sensor 1034 (FIG. 12). FIG. 16 depicts an amplitude error 1060for a range of secondary voltage 1062. The amplitude error 1060represents the transformation error as the primary voltage (not shown)is transformed to the secondary voltage 1062. During operation, the IED1014 may apply the amplitude error 1060 to the secondary voltage 1062.The illustrative examples of characteristic curves in FIGS. 13, 14, 15and 16 are but a few of the many ways to identify the operationalcharacteristics of a particular metering sensor under various operatingconditions and should not be construed as a limitation on the presentinvention.

Referring again to FIG. 12, one or more characteristic curves may bedetermined through individual testing of each one of the meteringsensors 1016. Testing of the metering sensors 1016 to generate thecharacteristic curves is accomplished by simulating operating conditionswith a sensor-metering tester (not shown). The sensor-metering testermay be any device capable of simulating operation of the conductors 1012and the IED 1014.

The sensor-metering tester may generate electrical energy and providecontrol of the associated energy parameters to simulate operation of theconductors 1012. In addition, the sensor-metering tester may performderivation of the electrical parameters as a function of the output ofthe metering sensors 1016. During simulation of operating conditionswith a particular one of the metering sensors 1016, the electricalenergy is supplied to the primary winding 1036. In addition, a burdensupplied by the sensor-metering tester is connected with the secondarywinding 1038. The burden may be determined based on the resistance andinductance of the electrical interface between the IED 1014 and theparticular one of the metering sensors 1016. In addition, the internalimpedance of a particular IED 1014 designated for installation andoperation with the metering sensors 1016 may be used to determine theburden. Alternatively, the actual electrical interface and theparticular IED 1014 may be connected with the secondary winding 1038 toprovide the burden.

During testing, the frequency, voltage and current of the electricalenergy may be varied and the electrical parameters may be derived by theIED 1014. Alternatively, the sensor-metering tester may derive theelectrical parameters in a fashion similar to the IED 1014. Where thederived values of the electrical parameters deviate from expectedvalues, characteristic curves may be developed. Characteristic curvesmay also be generated for deviations in the derived electricalparameters caused by varying characteristics in other operatingparameters. Examples of varying characteristics include, for example,operating temperatures, changes in the ratio of the metering sensors1016, harmonics, noise or any varying characteristics affecting theaccuracy of operation of the IED 1014. In addition, characteristiccurves may be generated for non-varying characteristics such as, forexample, materials of manufacture of the metering sensors 1016, windowposition or any other parameter that may affect accuracy. Accordingly,improved accuracy of the IED 1014 may be achieved during any operatingscenario by determining the appropriate characteristic curves throughtesting.

In another embodiment, characteristic curves may be determined throughtesting of a predetermined group of metering sensors (not shown). Thepredetermined group may be a classification of the metering sensors 1016based on the type of metering sensor, manufacturer model number,manufacturing lot, production run, repeatable test results or any otherbasis for grouping a plurality of the metering sensors 1016 exhibitingsimilar operating characteristics. In this embodiment, testing may beperformed on a plurality of the metering sensors 1016 to develop averagecharacteristic curves. The average characteristic curves may be appliedto any one of the metering sensors 1016 in the predetermined group toimprove accuracy of operation.

A number of predetermined groups may be stored in the IED 1014. Inaddition, a selection menu may be stored in the IED 1014. The IED 1014may be configured using the selection menu to select the predeterminedgroup in which the metering sensors 1016 that are connected with the IED1014 are located. Accordingly, this embodiment provides improvedaccuracy of the IED 1014 without the necessity of individual testing ofthe metering sensors 1016.

Referring again to FIG. 12, during operation of the disclosedembodiments of the IED 1014, the CPU 1024 receives and processes thedigital signals from the DSP circuit 1022. The CPU 1024 may apply thecharacteristic curves during processing of the digital signals togenerate electrical parameters representing the electrical energypresent on the conductors 1012. By application of the characteristiccurves, the CPU 1024 is capable of improving the accuracy of theelectrical parameters derived from the output of the metering sensors1016.

In another embodiment, the IED 1014 may dynamically selectcharacteristic curves during operation as a function of operatingconditions. The operating conditions may be any condition within thepower distribution system 1010 that may introduce error into theelectrical parameters derived by the IED 1014. Operating conditions mayinclude temperature, voltage, current, frequency, harmonics, noise orany other varying operating condition affecting measurement by themetering sensors 1016 and derivation of the electrical parameters by theIED 1014. The operating conditions may be sensed by the IED 1014.Alternatively, the operating conditions may be obtained by the IED 1014from a source within the network 1042 (FIG. 17).

During operation within this embodiment, the IED 1014 may sense one ormore of the operating conditions and selectively apply thecharacteristic curves during derivation of the electrical parameters.For example, where the accuracy of the measurement of electrical energyby the IED 1014 and the metering sensors 1016 is susceptible to changesin ambient air temperature, characteristic curves may be developed foreach of a plurality of temperature ranges within the expected ambienttemperature range. During operation, the IED 1014 may monitor an ambientair temperature sensor (not shown) and selectively apply one of thecharacteristic curves based on the ambient temperature. Alternatively,the temperature may be obtained from a server (not shown) on the network1042 (FIG. 17) that includes ambient temperature data. Another exampleis selectively applying characteristic curves to correct errorsintroduced by harmonic conditions as a function of the frequencymeasured by the IED 1014. Selective application of the characteristiccurves may improve the overall accuracy of the IED 1014 and reduceerrors in measurement by the metering sensors 1016.

In another embodiment, the IED 1014 may be directed to apply some of thecharacteristic curves at all times while other characteristic curves maybe selectively applied based on operating conditions. For example, acharacteristic curve representing error correction for the position(e.g. centered, offset, etc.) of the conductors 1012 within the windowof a window type current sensor 1032 may be continuously applied duringoperation. However, a characteristic curve for a particular noise orharmonic condition may be selectively applied when the IED 1014 sensesthe presence of that operating condition.

In yet another embodiment, the characteristic curves may be determinedthrough testing and then stored in the metering sensors 1016. In thisembodiment, the metering sensors 1016 include a memory device (notshown) fixedly coupled to each of the metering sensors 1016. The memorydevice may be a non-volatile memory device, such as, for example, a readonly memory (ROM) or any other memory device capable of storing datarepresenting the characteristic curves.

When the metering sensors 1016 are connected with the IED 1014, the IED1014 may be activated to access and extract the characteristic curvesfrom the memory device. The characteristic curves may be transferred tothe IED 1014 through the electrical interface between the IED 1014 andthe metering sensors 1016. In another embodiment, a separate datatransfer line (not shown) coupling the IED 1014 and each of the meteringsensors 1016 may be used for data communications. Following extraction,the IED 1014 may store and use the characteristic curves duringoperation as previously discussed. Alternatively, the metering sensors1016 may provide ongoing access to the characteristic curves such thatthe IED 1014 may selectively access and use the characteristic curvesduring operation.

In another embodiment, the metering sensors 1016 may also containsufficient processing capability to dynamically modify or substitutecharacteristic curves made available to the IED 1014. Modification andsubstitution may be based on the operating conditions. Example operatingconditions that may be monitored and used as a basis for modificationand substitution include temperature, noise, tap setting, operatingranges, harmonics, window position and other similar operationalparameters that may affect accuracy. In this embodiment, thecharacteristic curves are made available for use by the IED 1014 at thedirection of the metering sensors 1016.

Referring once again to FIG. 12, the communication circuit 1028 providesa mechanism for the transfer of characteristic curves to and from theIED 1014. The communication circuit 1028 may operatively cooperate withthe CPU 1024 to format and pass commands and information. The IED 1014may send and receive data and commands using transfer protocols, suchas, for example, file transfer protocols (FTP), Simple Object AccessProtocol (SOAP), Extensible Markup Language (XML) or any other protocolsknow in the art. In addition, the communication circuit 1028 includes acommunication port 1040 operable to provide communication signals to anetwork 1042. The communication port 1040 may be, for example, anEthernet card, a network interface card or some other network compatiblecommunication device capable of connection with the network 1042. Inaddition, the communication port 1040 may include wireless communicationcapability, such as, for example, a wireless transceiver (not shown) toaccess the network 1042.

The network 1042 may be the Internet, a public or private intranet, anextranet, or any other network configuration to enable transfer of dataand commands. An example network configuration uses the TransportControl Protocol/Internet Protocol (“TCP/IP”) network protocol suite,however, other Internet Protocol based networks are contemplated.Communications may also include IP tunneling protocols such as thosethat allow virtual private networks coupling multiple intranets orextranets together via the Internet. The network 1042 may supportapplication protocols, such as, for example, telnet, POP3, Mime, HTTP,HTTPS, PPP, TCP/IP, SMTP, proprietary protocols, or any other networkprotocols known in the art.

FIG. 17 illustrates a portion of one embodiment of a networkdistribution system 1070. The network distribution system 1070 includesat least one IED 1014, at least one browser 1078 and a plurality ofservers 1080 connected and operatively communicating with each other viathe network 1042 as illustrated. In the illustrated exemplary networkdistribution system 1070, the network 1042 includes components of afirst intranet 1072, an Internet 1074 and a second intranet 1076.Communication within network 1042 may be performed with a communicationmedium that is included in wireline based communication systems and/orwireless based communication systems. The communication medium may befor example, a communication channel, radio waves, microwave, wiretransmissions, fiber optic transmissions, or any other communicationmedium capable of transmitting data in wireline and wireless basedcommunication systems.

The number and configuration of the components forming the network 1042are merely an illustrative example, and should not be construed as alimitation on the almost unlimited possibilities for configuration ofthe network 1042. In addition, hardware within the network 1042 mayperform one or more of the functions described herein, as well as otherwell-known network functions, and therefore should not be construed aslimited to the configuration described. For example the functionperformed by the servers 1080 are illustratively described as differentservers for purposes of clarity, however a single server, or more thanone server may perform the functions of the servers 1080. Further, thegeneral form of the architecture is connectionless thereby allowing forsubstantially simultaneous communications between a substantial numberof devices, such as, for example, multiple IEDs 1014 and browsers 1078within the network distribution system 1070. This form of scalabilityeclipses architectures that utilize point-to-point connections, such as,for example, those provided by telephony networks where a limited numberof simultaneous communications may take place.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 17, the IED 1014 may communicatevia the first intranet 1072. As generally known in the art, intranetsare comprised of software applications and various computing devices(network cards, cables, hubs, routers, etc.) that are used tointerconnect various computing devices and provide a communication path.The term “intranet,” as used herein, should be broadly construed toinclude any and all hardware and software applications that allow theIEDs 1014, the browser 1078, the servers 1080 and other computingdevices to be connected together to share and transfer data andcommands. Intranets are not limited to a particular physical locationand may include multiple organizations using various communicationprotocols. Although not illustrated, other devices, such as, forexample, printers may be connected with the intranet 1072, 1076 to makethese devices available to users of the network 1042. As known in theart, various types of intranets 1072, 1076 exist and may be used withthe disclosed embodiments.

The browser 1078 may be any application running on a computer that iscapable of communicating over the network 1042. The browser 1078 may bean Internet browser, proprietary software or any other applicationcapable of forming a connection with the servers 1080 to send andreceive information. In addition, the browser 1078 may be capable ofsending data to, and receiving data from, the IED 1014. The browser 1078may include an intranet, a server or any other devices and applicationsdiscussed herein to interface with and communicate via the Internet1074.

The servers 1080 are the primary interface to clients, such as, forexample, the IED 1014 and the browser 1078, for all interactions withthe applications or services available within the network distributionsystem 1070. The servers 1080 may operate to authenticate the clients,establish a secure connection from the clients to the servers 1080, andallow applications the clients are using to transparently access otherresources of the network distribution system 1070. In anotherembodiment, the IED 1014 may perform some or all of the functions of theservers 1080. In yet another embodiment, the IED 1014 may act as theservers 1080. In the exemplary embodiment, the servers 1080 include atleast one email server 1082, a plurality of firewall/gateway servers1084 and at least one master server 1086. The master server 1086 furthercomprises a server machine 1088 and a database 1090 in operablecommunication with each other. In other embodiments, additional servers,fewer servers or an individual server may be used to fulfill thesefunctions.

The email server 1082 may be any computer that includes associatedcommunications hardware and an application capable of handling incomingand outgoing mail for the first intranet 1072. An example embodiment isa computer that operates with Single Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) andPost Office Protocol 3 (POP3) using applications, such as, for example,MICROSOFT WINDOWS NT and MICROSOFT EXCHANGE SERVER. The email server1082 communicates over the network 1042 using the first intranet 1072.

The firewall/gateway servers 1084 may provide a network interfacingfunction, an application launching function and a firewall function. Inthe network interfacing function, the firewall/gateway servers 1084 maybe responsible for controlling traffic on the intranet 1072, 1076 andthe interface with the Internet 1074. In addition, the firewall/gatewayservers 1084 may include applications that can be launched by users ofthe intranet 1072, 1076 and the Internet 1074. An example trafficcontrolling function is accepting incoming HTTP (Hypertext TransferProtocol) messages and fulfilling the requests embedded therein. Anotherexample would be receiving dynamic HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) pagegeneration requests and launching the appropriate applications tofulfill those requests. Other transfer protocols, such as file transferprotocols (FTP), Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), Extensible MarkupLanguage (XML) or other protocols known in the art may also becontrolled by the firewall/gateway servers 1084.

In the application launching function, the firewall/gateway servers 1084may include applications to manage the logical flow of data and commandsand keep track of the state of sessions. A session is a period of timein which the IED 1014 or the browser 1078 is interacting with, and usingthe network distribution system 1070. Other applications operatingwithin the firewall/gateway servers 1084 may include encryption anddecryption software. Exemplary encryption and decryption softwareencrypts commands transmitted across the network 1042, and decrypts datareceived from the network distribution system 1070. In one embodiment,encryption may be done utilizing Pretty Good Privacy (PGP). PGP uses avariation of public key system, where each user has a publicly knownencryption key and a private key known only to that user. The public keysystem and infrastructure enables users of unsecured networks, such asthe Internet 1074, to securely and privately exchange data through theuse of public and private cryptographic key pairs.

Authentication applications may also be included in the firewall/gatewayservers 1084. Authentication applications may be performed for commandsor data sent or received over the network 1042. Authentication is theprocess of determining and verifying whether the device transmittingdata or commands is the device it declares itself to be. In addition,authentication prevents fraudulent substitution of devices or spoofingof device data generation in an attempt to defraud. Parameters such astime/date stamps, digital certificates, physical locating algorithmssuch as cellular triangulation, serial or tracking ID's, which couldinclude geographic location such as longitude and latitude may beparameters included in authentication. Authentication may also minimizedata collection and control errors within the network distributionsystem 1070 by verifying that data is being generated and that theappropriate devices are receiving commands.

The firewall function performs network security by isolating internalsystems from unwanted intruders. In the example embodiment, thefirewall/gateway server 1084 for the first intranet 1072 may isolate theIED 1014, the email server 1082 and the firewall/gateway server 1084from all Internet traffic that is not relevant to the operation of thenetwork distribution system 1070. In this example, the only requestsallowed through the firewall may be for services pertaining to the IED1014, the email server 1082 and the firewall/gateway server 1084. Allrequests not validated and pertaining to the IED 1014, the email server1082 and the firewall/gateway server 1084 that are received from theInternet 1074 may be blocked by the firewall/gateway server 1084.

As used herein, the term Internet 1074 should be broadly construed toinclude any software application and hardware device that is used toconnect the IED 1014, the browser 1078 and the servers 1080 with anInternet service provider (not illustrated). The Internet serviceprovider may establish the connection to the Internet 1074. The IED1014, the browser 1078 and the servers 1080 may establish a connectionto the Internet 1074 with the Internet service provider using, forexample, modems, cable modems, ISDN connections and devices, DSLconnections and devices, fiber optic connections and devices, satelliteconnections and devices, wireless connections and devices, Bluetoothconnections and devices, two-way pagers or any other communicationinterface device(s). For the purpose of the disclosed embodiments, it isimportant to understand that the IED 1014, the browser 1078 and theservers 1080 may operatively communicate with one another through theInternet 1074.

The server machine 1088 and database 1090 of the master server 1086 maybe any computer running applications that store, maintain and allowinterface to the database 1090. Applications, such as, for example, adatabase management system (DBMS) or other similar application mayorganize and coordinate the storage and retrieval of data from thedatabase 1090. The database 1090 may be stored in a storage device, suchas, for example, at least one hard drive, an optical storage media, orany other data storage device allowing read/write access to the data.The data in the database 1090 may be communicated throughout the networkdistribution system 1070 using the network 1042. The data within themaster server 1086 may be centralized on one master server 1086 or maybe distributed among multiple master servers 1086 that are distributedwithin the network distribution system 1070.

In one embodiment of the master server 1086, the database 1090 includesdata for a plurality of metering sensors 1016. In this embodiment,characteristic curves for each of the metering sensors 1016 are storedin the database 1090 in one or more datafiles. The identifier associatedwith each of the metering sensors 1016 provides a common identifier forthe corresponding characteristic curves. In another embodiment,characteristic curves for a plurality of predetermined groups of themetering sensors 1016 may be stored in the database 1090 and identifiedwith an identifier.

The database 1090 may be accessed by the IED 1014 and the browser 1078via the network 1042. Access to the database 1090 may allow thecharacteristic curves stored in the database 1090 to be transferred to aparticular IED 1014. The characteristic curves may be selected from thedatabase 1090 based on the identifier associated with a particular oneof the metering sensors 1016 connected with the IED 1014. In anotherembodiment, the selection may be based on identification of thepredetermined group to which a particular one of the metering sensors1016 belongs. Initiation of the transfer may be accomplished by arequest from the IED 1014. Alternatively, the browser 1078 or the masterserver 1086 may initiate the transfer. Prior to accessing the database1090, the master server 1086 may perform verification. Verificationensures that requestor has the authority to make such a request. Theverification could be in the form of a password, entry of the identifierassociated with a particular one of the metering sensors 1016 or anyother technique for verifying authorization.

In one embodiment, the use of email is the mechanism for transferringthe characteristic curves to the IED 1014. In this embodiment, thecharacteristic curves are requested by the IED 1014 or the browser 1078via an email message. Alternatively, the request may be accomplished byaccessing the master server 1086 directly with the IED 1014 or thebrowser 1078 via the network 1042. The request may identify the emailaddress of the particular IED 1014 and the desired correspondingcharacteristic curves. The master server 1086 of this embodiment iscapable of sending an email to the identified IED 1014 that includes thecharacteristic curves. Since the master server 1086 is transferring thecharacteristic curves via email, the firewall/gateway server 1084 forthe IED 1014 requires no additional configuration to allow the messageto be delivered to the IED 1014.

Upon receipt of the email message, the email server 1082 may forward themessage to the identified IED 1014. The IED 1014 may extract thecharacteristic curves from the email message directly. The IED 1014 maythen format and store the characteristic curves for use duringoperation. Alternatively, the email may include an executable that theIED 1014 executes to extract and store the characteristic curves. Inanother embodiment, the email server 1082 is the designated recipient ofthe characteristic curves. In this embodiment, the email server 1082 isa translation device. The translation device includes an applicationthat may extract the characteristic curves from the email message anddownload the characteristic curves to the IED 1014 via the intranet1072. In addition, the translation device may format the characteristiccurves prior to download.

In another embodiment, the characteristic curves may be supplied in adata file from the master server 1086. In this embodiment, thefirewall/gateway server 1084 may be configured to allow the data file topass through to the intranet 1072. As in the previously discussedembodiments, the IED 1014, the browser 1078 or the master server 1086may request the characteristic curves. In one embodiment, the masterserver 1086 may transfer a data file containing the requestedcharacteristic curves to a designated recipient, such as, for example,the browser 1078, the firewall/gateway server 1084 or some othertranslation device in communication with the master server 1086. In thisembodiment, the translation device is an IED 1014 compatible devicecontaining an application that functions to communicate with, anddownload the characteristic curves to the IED 1014 via the network 1042.In another embodiment, the IED 1014 may include capability to obtain orbe assigned an IP address. In this embodiment, the master server 1086may transfer the data file directly to the IED 1014. Upon receipt, theIED 1014 may translate the data file to a compatible format, store andbegin using the characteristic curves during operation.

In yet another embodiment, the IED 1014 may have capability tocommunicate with a translation device that is an IED compatible devicesuch as, for example, the browser 1078, the email server 1082, thefirewall gateway server 1084 or some other device connected to thenetwork 1042. In this embodiment, the request for characteristic curvesis made by the IED to the translation device. The translation device inturn communicates with the master server 1086 to make the request. Themaster server 1086 transfers the requested characteristic curves to thetranslation device, which, in turn transfers the characteristic curvesto the IED 1014.

FIG. 18 illustrates a portion of another embodiment of the networkdistribution system 1070. The network distribution system 1070 includesthe email server 1082, the firewall/gateway server 1084, a master IED1100, a first IED 1102 and a second IED 1104 that operativelycommunicate over the Internet 1074 and an intranet 1106 as illustrated.In this embodiment, the master, first and second IEDs 1100, 1102, 1104may be physically located at the same location or may be dispersed amongmultiple locations.

The master IED 1100 may be configured to communicate by email and/ordata file transfer in the manner described by the previous embodiments.In addition, the master IED 1100 may communicate with the first andsecond IED 1102, 1104 via the intranet 1106. During operation,characteristic curves transferred to the master IED 1100 includeinformation identifying the final destination. The master IED 1100 mayuse the information to route the characteristic curves to itself, thefirst IED 1102 or the second IED 1104. In addition, the master IED 1100may operate as a translation device to translate the characteristiccurves into a compatible format or otherwise “unpack” and reconfigurethe information received. In this embodiment, the IEDs 1100, 1102, 1104may also communicate using peer-to-peer communications. As such, one ofthe IEDs 1100, 1102, 1104 may contain characteristic curves that may betransferred to another one oftheIEDs 1100, 1102, 1104.

FIG. 19 is a flow diagram illustrating operation of one embodiment ofthe network distribution system 1070. The operation will be describedwith reference to the devices identified in FIGS. 17 and 18. Operationbegins with testing one or more of the metering sensors 1016 todetermine characteristic curves at block 1120. At block 1122, the formatfor the characteristic curves is determined and the identifier for eachof the metering sensors 1016 is established. Alternatively, theidentifier for the predetermined group of metering sensors 1016 isestablished. At block 1124, the characteristic curves are formatted andstored in the master server 1086 according to the previously determinedidentifier.

The IED 1014 and the previously tested metering sensors 1016 are shippedto a customer at block 1126. At block 1128, the IED 1014 and themetering sensors 1016 are connected, and the IED 1014 is connected withthe network 1042. At block 1130, a request is made by the IED 1014, thebrowser 1078 or the master server 1086 for at least one particularcharacteristic curve. The master server 1086 reviews the request andverifies authorization at block 1132.

Referring now to FIG. 20, following successful authorization, the masterserver 1086 determines whether the characteristic curves should betransferred via email or via a data file at block 1134. At block 1136,the master server 1086 determines if the IED 1014 will receive thecharacteristic curves directly. If yes, the data file or email istransferred to the IED 1014 at block 1138. At block 1140, where the IED1014 is a master IED 1100, the master IED 1100 determines if thecharacteristic curves are for another IED 1102, 1104. If thecharacteristic curves are for the master IED 1100, the characteristiccurves are received and stored for use during operation at block 1141.If the characteristic curves are for another IED 1102, 1104, than themaster IED 1100 transfers the characteristic curves to the designatedIED 1102, 1104 at block 1142. At block 1141, the IED 1102, 1104 receivesand stores the characteristic curves.

If the characteristic curves are not transferred directly to the IED1014 at block 1136, the data file or email is transferred to thetransfer device which is the designated recipient of the characteristiccurves at block 1143. At block 1144, the transfer device extracts,formats and transfers the characterized curves to the IED 1014. The IED1014 receives and stores the characteristic curves for use duringoperation at block 1141.

FIG. 21 illustrates another embodiment of a portion of a powerdistribution system 1010 that includes an embodiment of the IED 1014.The same element identification numbers are included in FIG. 21 as inpreviously discussed FIG. 12 to illustrate that the IED 1014 of thisembodiment includes operability and components similar to the previouslydiscussed embodiments. For purposes of brevity, a discussion of thevarious components and operational aspects of the IED 1014 that werepreviously described will not be repeated.

The IED 1014 of this embodiment includes a first set of metering sensorsthat are external metering sensors 1146 and a second set of meteringsensors that are the previously discussed metering sensors 1016. Theexternal metering sensors 1146 may be connected with the conductors 1012and the IED 1014 as illustrated. The external metering sensors 1146include an external current sensor 1148 and an external voltage sensor1150 that may be similar to the previously discussed current sensor 1032and voltage sensor 1034, respectively. In one embodiment, the externalmetering sensors 1146 may be clamp on sensors. Clamp on sensors mayprovide simple and quick installation without requiring deenergizationof the conductors 1012.

Both the metering sensors 1016 and the external metering sensors 1146may be used by the IED 1014 to derive, store and display variouselectrical parameters indicative of the electrical energy present in theconductors 1012. The IED 1014 may switch between operation with themetering sensors 1016 and the external metering sensors 1146. Switchingbetween the use of the metering sensors 1016 and the external meteringsensors 1146 may be performed at the direction of a user of the IED1014. Alternatively, the IED 1014 may selectively use the meteringsensors 1016 and the external metering sensors 1146 as a function ofoperating conditions. For example, where the IED 1014 senses noise whilemonitoring with the metering sensors 1016, the IED 1014 may switch tothe external metering sensors 1146 in an effort to minimize the noise.In another embodiment, the IED 1014 may selectively use a combination ofthe metering sensors 1016 and the external metering sensors 1146 tomonitor electrical energy.

Similar to the previous embodiments, the external metering sensors 1146may be tested to develop at least one first characteristic curve. Inaddition, the first characteristic curve may be obtained by the IED 1014and applied during operation with the external metering sensors 1146 toimprove accuracy. Further, a predetermined group of external meteringsensors 1146 may be used to develop the first characteristic curve.

In this embodiment, the A/D converter circuit 1020 may generate separatedigital signals representative of the output from the metering sensors1016 and the output of the external metering sensors 1146. The separatedigital signals are generated by the A/D converter 1020 on a firstchannel line 1152 and a second channel line 1154 for transfer to the DSPcircuit 1022. The DSP circuit 1022 may perform signal enhancement andprovide the enhanced digital signals to the CPU 1024 on the first andsecond channel lines 1152, 1154.

The CPU 1024 may select either the metering sensors 1016, the externalmetering sensors 1146 or a combination of both as previously discussed.In one embodiment, the CPU 1024 may use the external metering sensors1146 and the first characteristic curve to perform monitoring ofelectrical energy. In this embodiment, the external metering sensors1146 may be clamp on type sensors thereby allowing installation andactivation of the IED 1014 without deenergizing the conductors 1012.Accurate monitoring of electrical energy by the IED 1014 using theexternal metering sensors 1146 may therefore be advantageously performedon a temporary basis without the need for permanent electricalinstallation.

In another embodiment, the CPU 1024 may use the external meteringsensors 1146 to perform calibration of the metering sensors 1016. Inthis embodiment, the IED 1014 operates with improved accuracy as afunction of the first characteristic curve. During operation, when acalibration function is initiated, the IED 1014 uses the outputs fromboth the external metering sensors 1146 and the metering sensors 1016 toderive two sets of the same electrical parameters. The IED 1014 maycompare the electrical parameters derived from the metering sensors 1016with same electrical parameters derived from the external meteringsensors 1146 and the first characteristic curve. As a function of thiscomparison, at least one second characteristic curve may be generatedfor the metering sensors 1016. The second characteristic curve for themetering sensors 1016 may be stored in the IED 1014. Alternatively, thesecond characteristic curve may be stored in the metering sensors 1016or elsewhere in the network 1042 as previously discussed.

In one embodiment, the IED 1014 is performing calibration of meteringsensors while connected with the network 1042. As in the previouslydiscussed embodiments, the IED 1014 may communicate with servers andother devices in the network 1042. In this embodiment, the secondcharacteristic curve may be transferred over the network 1042 to themaster server 1086 (FIG. 17) the browser 1078 (FIG. 17) or some otherdata storage device following generation. As in the previously discussedembodiments, the transfer of the second characteristic curve may be byemail or by a data file. Initiation of the transfer may be similar tothe previously discussed embodiments.

FIG. 22 is a flow diagram illustrating operation of another embodimentof the IED 1014. The operation begins at block 1160 where the IED 1014is connected with the conductors 1012 and the external metering sensors1146 as illustrated in FIG. 21. At block 1162, the IED 1014 is energizedand the connection with the external metering sensors 1146 is sensed. Atleast one first characteristic curve corresponding to the meteringsensors 1146 is located and obtained at block 1164. As previouslydiscussed, the first characteristic curve may be stored in the IED 1014,the external metering sensors 1146 or elsewhere in the network 1042. Atblock 1166, the IED 1014 may be placed in a monitoring mode or in acalibration mode. If the IED 1014 is placed in the monitoring mode, thefirst characteristic curve may be selectively applied during derivationof the electrical parameters with the external metering sensors 1146 atblock 1168. At block 1170, high accuracy measurement, derivation anddisplay of various electrical parameters is performed.

Referring now to FIG. 23, if the IED 1014 is placed in the calibrationmode at block 1166, determination of whether at least one secondcharacterization curve exists for the metering sensors 1016 is performedat block 1172. If the second characteristic curve exists, it is obtainedat block 1174. At block 1176, the electrical parameters derived with theexternal metering sensors 1146 and the first characteristic curve arecompared with the same electrical parameters derived with the meteringsensors 1016 and the second characteristic curve.

If, at block 1172, characterization curves do not exist for the meteringsensors 1016, the electrical parameters derived with the externalmetering sensors 1146 and the first characteristic curve are compared atblock 1178 with the same electrical parameters derived with the meteringsensors 1016. At least one second characteristic curve for the meteringsensors 1016 may be generated for any differences in the electricalparameters identified to be outside of predetermined thresholds at block1180. At block 1182, the second characteristic curve for the meteringsensors 1016 is stored. Storage of the second characteristic curve maybe in the IED memory 1026, the first metering sensors 1016 or elsewherein the network 1042. The IED 1014 may use the second characteristiccurve during operation, as in the previously discussed embodiments, atblock 1184.

The embodiments of the IED 1014 may provide improved accuracy formeasurement, display and reporting of energy parameters. Accuracyimprovement is achieved by generating characteristic curves for aparticular one of the metering sensors 1016, 1146 or predeterminedgroups of the metering sensors 1016, 1146 through testing. Thecharacteristic curves may be determined prior to installation of themetering sensors 1016, 1146; or the IED 1014 may perform self-testing todevelop the characteristic curves. The characteristic curves may bestored in the IED 1014, or the metering sensors 1016, 1146, andselectively used during operation to minimize inaccuracy. Alternatively,the characteristic curves may be transferred to the IED 1014 using thenetwork 1042. The resulting dynamic calibration of the IED 1014 providesimproved accuracy in measured and calculated electrical parametersrepresentative of the electrical energy present in the conductors 1012during varying operating conditions.

With reference to FIGS. 1-11, with the various available hardwareoptions as well as the infinitely configurable nature of the softwareapplications which can be installed, IED's are highly customizabledevices and capable of performing a wide variety of power managementfunctions. The preferred IED's utilize a unique object oriented softwarearchitecture where a framework defines the software architecture andoperating structure of an IED, defining the way the power monitoringinformation is accessed, transferred and manipulated by the device. U.S.Pat. Nos. 5,650,936 and 5,828,576 disclose and further describe suchobject-oriented structures on power meters that can be readilyconfigured to exactly match a user's unique requirements. While thepreferred embodiments utilize this object oriented softwarearchitecture, it will be appreciated that the disclosed invention isapplicable to non-object oriented based IED's which have the capabilityto load custom applications software for the purpose of defining the waythe power monitoring information is accessed, transferred andmanipulated by the device

The integrated object network (ION™) is an object oriented softwareconstruct operating within the IED which defines the way information,specifically power monitoring information, is accessed, transferred andmanipulated inside the device. The ION™ network is comprised of avariety of discrete units called modules. By combining or linkingseveral modules together, one can create functions to suit a particularapplication. The resultant combination of these functions, referred toas a framework, is utilized by the IED to translate and manipulate datareceived from the IED inputs. An IED may have several frameworksoperating at any given time, operating independently or in combinationwith other frameworks to perform various management, control,communications or other functions of the IED.

As shown in FIG. 1, a module 150 contains inputs, outputs and setupregisters, or combinations thereof. The setup registers containconfiguration settings for the module which alter how the moduleprocesses the data. Examples of modules are: an Arithmetic Module, whichallows a user to apply defined mathematical and logical functions to theinputs, such as multiplication, addition or square roots; a DisplayModule which allows for the creation of custom front panel displayscreens (for use with IED's with standard or optional display devices);an External Boolean Module which allows for a single Boolean registerwhich can be defined as either on or off; a Sag/Swell Module whichmonitors the voltage inputs for disturbances and, upon detection of adisturbance, breaks the disturbance into discrete components for a moredetailed analysis. A complete list of modules is contained in the “ION™Reference Manual”, printed by Power Measurement Ltd., located inSaanichton, B.C., Canada. An exemplary example of a Pulse Merge Moduleis illustrated in FIG. 2. The module 152 receives pulse inputs from anumber of modules N 153 a, and responds according to the module functionas a pulse output 154 a, which is able to be input into another module.The function could be, for example, an AND, OR, or NOT Boolean function.The response can also occur as an Event 154 b, which writes the pulseevent into a log. There are no register settings required for thisexemplary module.

Frameworks are created and manipulated by connecting multiple modulestogether. Control of the functionality and data manipulation of the IEDcan be accomplished by one, or several frameworks stored in the IEDsoftware applications. They are created in the software package calledION Designer, a component of the Pegasys software manufactured by PowerMeasurement, located in Saanichton, B.C., Canada. FIG. 3 illustrates aportion of a framework 160 that contains a Pulse Merge Module 162, whichreceives inputs from Module A 164, Module B 166 and Module C 168 andoutputs a pulse into Module D 170. For example, Module A, B and C areMaximum Modules, configured to monitor a source value and send an outputpulse 165 167 169 every time the source reaches a new maximum value. Thepulse output 171 from the Pulse Merge Module 162 is connected to ModuleD 170, an Alert Module, which is configured to alert the appropriateparty that a maximum value has been reached in the system. FIGS. 4-6depict exemplary screens from the ION designer software package alongwith exemplary frameworks.

Frameworks essentially utilize the raw data generated by the IED toproduce useful results and/or perform useful functions. Frameworksultimately create and manipulate the functionality of the device andthey can be designed in a way that permits and promotes customizationand expansion of devices. This customization/expansion quality of theframeworks is extremely valuable to customers because the cost ofcustomizing or expanding a frameworks™ based device is much less thanthe cost of replacing or reworking an existing program or solution.IED's may be reprogrammed and reassigned to new applications quicklysimply by loading new frameworks into the device. “Core” frameworksrefer to those frameworks that are not subject to potentialcustomization by the consumer whereas “custom” frameworks™ refers tothose frameworks which may be customized or developed by the end user orthird party. Core frameworks are provided by the manufacturer. In oneembodiment, the manufacturer may also develop and provide customframeworks.

As was noted above, IED's are highly customizable and configurable tothe specific needs of the end user's power management applications.However, this requires effort on the part of the consumer of suchdevices to configure and tailor the IED's to their needs. It would beimpractical for the manufacturer to offer every conceivable combinationof options and software and would likely lead to higher manufacturingcosts. Further, the capabilities of the IED's make it impossible topredict how an end user may want to use the functionality of the device.It is therefore desirable to provide a system through which a customercan order an IED pre-configured to their specific needs such that thedevice is ready to be installed and used within the customer's specificpower management application upon receipt from the supplier ormanufacturer of the device. Further, such a system should integrate withthe manufacturing or supply chain of the IED's so as not to addcomplexity to the manufacturing or supply process.

Typically, an IED end-user will order generic devices from amanufacturer or distributor and customize those devices to theirspecific needs on-site. In most cases, the user has their own “metershop” and personnel who install and maintain the IED's owned by theuser. The disclosed embodiments permit the end-user to order IED's froma manufacturer or distributor specifically customized to their needsincluding all options and software such that when the IED is delivered,it is ready to be installed out of the box.

The disclosed embodiments relate to a build-to-order system forconducting interactive electronic commerce and more particularly to amethod for specifying custom hardware and software configurations whenordering IED's so that they are configured to exactly match a customersunique requirement before shipping the device. Further, a medium isprovided to allow the sharing of both core and custom frameworksolutions with other customers as well as the ability to clone and/ormodify existing frameworks solutions when ordering a customized device.The disclosed embodiments allow the customer to provide this informationin advance over the Internet such that the IED device is ready toperform as desired by the user as soon as it is installed. This issimilar to “Plug and Play” for computers and their attached peripheraldevices.

On the Internet, the number of sites allowing remote electronic ordering(e-commerce) of products is increasing daily. At a typical e-commercesite a consumer can access online catalogs, containing text and othergraphical and multimedia based information about specific items. Aconsumer can select products, choosing which options they may desire,purchase the products online and even receive instant confirmation oftheir order upon completion of their transaction. U.S. Pat. No.5,710,887 discloses such e-commerce shopping where consumers are able toselect and add products to their “electronic shopping carts” where U.S.Pat. Nos. 5,909,492 and 5,715,314 further describe the consumersconfirmation of their order.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,963,743 and 5,991,543 disclose customized testingsoftware for build-to-order systems, specifically computer systems,however they fail to disclose enabling the customer to order an IEDdevice and specify and customize the hardware and software/frameworksconfiguration.

In one embodiment, a system and method of providing/building andconfiguring IED's to order is provided. It will be appreciated thatwhile the disclosed embodiments are described in terms of themanufacture of IED's, they are applicable both to the manufacture ofIED's as well as to the provision of IED's through other parts of thesupply chain, such as from aftermarket, original equipment manufacturers(“OEM”) or other secondary providers or suppliers. Any entity whichprovides IED's to end-users is contemplated. For example, a dealer orOEM of IED's retrieves a stock IED from their inventory and configuresit according to this invention prior to shipping it to thecustomer/end-user.

A customer/end-user, such as a supplier or consumer of electricalenergy, places an order with a manufacturer or provider of IED's. Inaddition to the customer identification and payment information, theorder includes three primary parts: a first specification of the typeand model of IED the customer wishes to purchase; a second specificationof the optional hardware they would like added to the IED; and a thirdspecification of the software to be installed on the IED prior todelivery. The order specifies all of the parameters necessary to provideone or more IED's to the customer that meet the customer's specificneeds and require no further configuration to be installed in thecustomer's application.

The first specification is used to select a particular product from athe product line offered by a manufacturer or dealer. Typically, amanufacturer of IED's will design and manufacture one or more discretesets of devices directed to different operating goals or customer bases.Each of these discrete sets or types of IED's may have differentcombinations of capabilities as well as different price points driven bymarket parameters such as by categories of customers. For example, onetype of IED may be targeted to a utility/supplier of electrical energywhile a different type of IED may be targeted to a consumer ofelectrical energy. The two different types may share common capabilitiesbut may also offer unique capabilities desirable to their target marketonly. Further, as a manufacturer develops their technologies, new IEDtypes or models may be introduced with added, improved or updatedfeatures and capabilities. A particular type of IED may further includevarious models. In this case, all models of an IED within a particulartype may share common attributes such as a common form factor or acommon base set of capabilities. In addition, each model within aparticular type may offer additional optional capabilities or improvedfeatures. For example, All type A meters may have the capability tostore measured data in a memory. A type A, model 1 meter may be able tostore 20 readings while a type A, model 2 meter may be able to store 40readings. Again, each model within a particular type may be targeted toa specific market category or price point. It will be appreciated thatproduct offerings are manufacturer independent and that types and modelsmay vary and that further, some capabilities or features may be addedvia optional hardware as described below.

Once a customer has specified which type and model of IED they want,they may also specify optional hardware to be added to the IED. Theoptional hardware typically includes hardware which adds non-standardfeatures or capabilities which can be added to any model or type or anymodel within a particular type. It will be appreciated that hardwarewhich is optional on one type or model of device may be standard onanother model or type of device. Optional hardware includes, but is notlimited to, network interface cards such as Ethernet cards, modems orother communications devices, additional memory storage, remote displaydevices, current transformers, power supplies, terminal strips orLonWorks™ distributed network functionality control hardware. In somecases, the customer may not wish to add any optional hardware, forexample, to keep costs down. In this case, the customer will specify nooptional hardware.

Finally, the customer specifies the software which they want loaded onthe IED. As was noted above, the software which operates the IED isdivided into two types, the firmware and the software applications orframeworks. The firmware is loaded by the manufacturer or secondaryprovider according to the type and model of the IED as well as theoptional hardware installed. Further, standard or core frameworks mayalso be loaded which provide basic or generic functionality for thedevice.

In addition, the customer may specify custom frameworks to be loaded onthe IED prior to shipment. These custom frameworks may be frameworksdeveloped internally by the customer for tailoring the IED to a specifictask. As will be described below, the new IED being ordered may beintended to replace a defective IED in the field. In this case, thecustomer desires that the new IED to be configured exactly like theexisting device so that the two devices can be swapped with no furthereffort involved in configuring the new device. Another example involvesa customer which is expanding operations and needs to order many IED'sall configured identically for a new application or to a particulardevice or set of devices which are currently installed in the existinginstallation. In this case, the customer may provide their customframeworks to the manufacturer so that all of the new IED's can bepre-configured as described above. Custom frameworks may also bedeveloped by other customers and shared or traded, or may be developedby third parties or by the manufacturer or secondary provider of the IEDand offered as options. Further, the customer may specify a customcombination of optional custom or standard/core frameworks developed andprovided by the manufacturer or a combination of optional, standard/coreand custom frameworks. By allowing the specification of customframeworks, standard/core frameworks, and combinations thereof, thecustomer is enabled to buy configured-to-order devices.

In the preferred embodiments, the ability to specify the IED model/type,optional hardware and custom frameworks in an order for an IED isprovided via an automated order processing interface. It will beappreciated that there may be many alternative methods of processingorders, both manual and automated, and all such methods arecontemplated. The interface is preferably implemented as an Internet orextranet accessible web site (described in more detail below).Alternatively, the interface may be accessible via a private networksuch as an intranet, extranet or combination thereof with a publiclyaccessible network such as a virtual private network utilizing theInternet. The web site may be an open site where anyone can order an IEDor may be a secure site requiring customers to register or log in foraccess. Alternatively, the interface may be implemented as an electronicmail interface which processes orders via electronic mail interactions,either secure or unsecured. Further, the interface may be implementedusing telephony based services such as automated telephone or operatorassisted interfaces or facsimile based interfaces.

The preferred interface provides the functionality to receive an orderfor one or more IED's from a customer. The interface preferably alsoprovides the functionality for a customer to modify an existing orderthat has not shipped out yet. The order includes the specifications ofthe type and model of IED, the optional hardware and the customframeworks to be loaded. In one embodiment, the interface also allowscustomers to order generic or non-custom IED's with optional hardwareand core frameworks but without specifying custom frameworks. Thecombination of the three specifications, IED type and model, theoptional hardware and custom frameworks is referred to as a“configuration.” As described above and in more detail below, thepreferred order processing interface receives the configuration from thecustomer. In one embodiment, order entry web pages are provided whichallow the customer to enter all of the information specifying theconfiguration of the IED's they wish to buy. For receiving theconfiguration information, the interface may provide pull-down menus,pick lists or text entry fields as are known. In one embodiment, theorder entry web pages implement a e-commerce based catalog and shoppingcart data construct as are known. Further, the interface provides thefunctionality to allow the customer to provide/upload their customframeworks to the order processing interface. The custom frameworks willbe passed to manufacturing (described in more detail below) where theywill be loaded on the IED once manufactured.

In an alternative embodiment, the configuration may be selected from adatabase of stored configurations. This database is coupled with theinterface and may be publicly available to any customer or exclusive toa particular customer. When specifying a configuration from thedatabase, the customer may choose to provide/upload their customframeworks to the order processing interface or the custom frameworksmay also be stored in the database (as will be described below). In oneembodiment, each customer has a private library of configurations storedwithin the database and accessible only to that customer. In stillanother embodiment, a customer can share configurations, includingframeworks, with other customers. In addition, public libraries ofcustom configurations and/or frameworks may be provided for the customerto select from.

In another embodiment, the order processing interface provides amechanism to receive batch or bulk orders for IED's. In one embodiment,a customer may upload a list of devices and configurations to theinterface. The interface then parses the list and processes the order asdescribed for the desired devices. In another embodiment, the interfacecommunicates with a customer's client side productspecification/computer design software program such as used by aconstruction company that designs and constructs buildings. The designsoftware program facilitates the overall design process for theconstruction project and typically is capable of generating an inventoryof parts and supplies needed to construct the building. Included withinthat inventory is a specification of the power management devices thatwill be necessary. This specification can be communicated directly tothe order processing interface by the design software. The orderprocessing interface then parses the specification into the individualproducts and configurations and processes the order as described. Forexample, the automated services such as Simple Object Access Protocol(SOAP) or BizTalk, which use the extensible markup language (“XML”) asthe data interchange format, may be utilized in conjunction with theorder process to allow batch ordering and processing of orders and hencereducing or eliminating the human intervention required during theordering process. For example a construction company may utilize anautomated service to order and track the products required to complete abuilding, managing delivery dates and other scheduling issues, such asdelivery and ordering of building supplies and materials which mayinclude, among other things, IED's. The construction company's automatedservice places the building requirements into a data file and transfersthe data file request to the automated order processing interface of thevirtual meter site. The order processing interface, which is configuredto determine the custom needs of the requested devices based on the datafile, initiates the device order request and returns an orderconfirmation to the construction companies automated service. Theordered IED's then follow the manufacture process as outlined earlier.

In yet another alternative embodiment, a customer may order a new IED byspecifying that the new IED be configured identically to an existing IEDowned by the customer. In one embodiment, the database described abovestores the configurations for all previous orders placed by a particularcustomer. When the customer orders a new IED, they have the option ofselecting the configuration of a previously ordered IED from thisdatabase. The customer may specify the previous order by entering theserial number, network address, such as the device's Internet Protocol(“IP”) address, or other tracking identification of the existing deviceor may select the configuration from a list. In another embodiment,configurations of existing IED's owned by a customer are maintained on acustomer owned computer coupled via the network with the orderprocessing system. This allows the customer to upload the configurationsof previously ordered IED's to the order processing interface whenplacing a new order for a new device.

In addition, the preferred embodiments provide the capability to cloneexisting installed devices. In this embodiment, the customer specifies aserial number, tracking number or other identification such as a networkaddress, e.g. IP address, of a network accessible IED having aconfiguration they wish to use on the new IED they are ordering. Usingthe identification, the order processing interface automaticallycommunicates directly with the existing IED in the field via thenetwork. The order processing interface downloads the configuration,including the type and model of IED, the installed optional hardware andcustom frameworks to generate the order for the new IED. Thecommunications between the existing IED and the order processinginterface is preferably secure but maybe unsecured as well. Thisfunctionality enables a customer to easily order new IED's configuredexactly like existing IED's without having to remember the configurationinformation or de-install the device.

In another embodiment, an interface is provided to assist a customer whois unsure of what configuration they need for their application. Thisinterfaces performs an assessment, such as through an interactivehierarchical series of interrogatories presented via a web page, todetermine the custom needs of the particular customer. Once the needsare assessed, the interface computes a custom configuration, includingthe IED type and model, the optional hardware and custom frameworks toaccomplish the customer's application. This may be performed using alook up table which correlates answers to various specific questionswith pre-defined custom configurations.

At each step of the order process, as the configuration is determined,the interface validates the choices of the customer. In an alternativeembodiment, the validation is a batch process which occurs once thecustomer has finished specifying the desired configuration. A particularchoice may be invalid where the specified type or model of IED is nolonger manufactured or otherwise available, the chosen optional hardwareis incompatible with the specified type or model of IED, or the customframeworks specified by the customer are outdated or incompatible withthe specified hardware. In one embodiment, the order processinginterface automatically provides valid substitutions for the invalidchoices. In another embodiment, the invalid choices are flagged for thecustomer and they are permitted to re-select valid choices.

Once the customer has completed their order specified all of the IED'sand corresponding configurations that they wish to purchase, they submitthe order. Upon order submission, the order may be confirmed back to thecustomer who then has the opportunity to review the order and make anychanges. Once confirmed, the order is processed and sent tomanufacturing as described in more detail below. In one embodiment,IED's and corresponding configurations are added to a shopping cart datastructure, as is typically done in e-commerce based web sites. When thecustomer is finished ordering, they can “check out” their shopping cartto complete the order process. Once the order is submitted andconfirmed, it is also stored in a database, as described above, forfuture reference in future orders.

The interface further provides order management capabilities which allowa customer to review past orders and check the status of current orders,such as the real time shipping status. Further, functionality isprovided for a customer to manage and maintain there own privateconfiguration library. For orders which have not yet shipped, thecustomer is also provided with tools which allow modification to theorder, such as adding or deleting IED's from the order or modifyingconfigurations. As will be discussed in more detail below, where achange is made to the configuration of an IED after the manufacturing ofthat IED has begun or after the affected manufacturing step hascompleted, the order processing system generates a re-work order whichwill cause the completed IED to be re-sent through the manufacturingprocess to implement the change. In one embodiment, the order processinginterface provides secure private custom web based portals for customersto manage and maintain their own IED and configuration datasets as wellas interact with the order management capabilities.

The order processing interface described above is integrated with themanufacturing/supply process of the IED provider so as to automate thefulfillment of the orders. The order processing interface continuallywatches, based on events such as order or updatesubmission/confirmation, for new order or updates to existing, but notyet complete, orders and feeds this information to the manufacturingprocessing system. Receipt of a new order or a re-work order from theorder processing system triggers the manufacturing processing system.The manufacturing processing system then implements themanufacturing/supply process. The order may first be validated by anorder validator (or re-validated if the order processing system hasalready validated it) to ensure that the configuration ismanufacturable. If an invalid configuration is determined, the order canbe flagged and returned to the order processing system which can thencontact the customer to correct the problem. Alternatively, a suitablesubstitution for the invalid configuration may be automaticallyprovided. For example, where an older model of a particular IED isrequested but no longer available, the newer model may be automaticallysubstituted. Once the order is determined to be valid, an IED of thespecified type and model is constructed (or retrieved from inventory inthe case of a secondary supplier). Once constructed, the specifiedoptional hardware is installed. Finally the core and custom frameworksare loaded into the device. Further manufacturing steps may beperformed. For example, refer to U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/792,699, entitled “SYSTEMS FOR IMPROVED MONITORING ACCURACY OFINTELLIGENT ELECTRONIC DEVICES,” captioned above. In one embodiment, thenecessary configuration information is retrieved by manufacturing fromthe database described above at each manufacturing stage. For re-workorders, the IED to be altered is recycled through the manufacturingprocess to the appropriate stage where the modification is to be made.

Once complete, the IED is ready for shipment to the end-user. The IEDincludes all of the requested hardware and software and is ready to beinstalled and utilized within the customer's specific application upondelivery.

Referring back to the figures, and in particular FIG. 7, there is shownan overview of the preferred embodiment of customer and orderinginteraction with the order processing interface 119, also referred to asthe Virtual Meter Web Site 119, for ordering standard/generic deviceconfigurations. The order processing interface web site is served by aweb server computer 111. The customer first enters the Virtual MeterSite via a home page or custom portal web page using an Internet WorldWide Web browser program 110 operating on their local computer, which isconnected over a network, such as the Internet to the web server 111. Anexemplary browser is Internet Explorer™, manufactured by MicrosoftCorporation, located in Redmond, Wash. It will be appreciated that thismay be a secure connection using secure sockets layer (“SSL”),encryption such as PGP, firewalls, proxy servers or other networksecurity mechanisms as are known.

Within the Virtual Meter Web Site 119, the customer has the ability toselect products and desired configurations, as well as change and uploadcustom configurations/frameworks 120. The site 119 is coupled with amaster server 101 which further includes the order management database100. The server 101 and database 100 maintain all of the data related tocurrent and previous orders as well as store configurations libraries asdiscussed above. The Master Server 101 is further coupled with theProduction Department (not shown) and is capable of scheduling requestedorders into production. When an order is generated and scheduled, theserver 101 generates a Tracking ID or Serial Number (S/N) 121 which canbe used to track the order as it progresses through the manufacturingprocess. The Master Server 101 also has the ability to communicate withthe customer via email or other form of communications informing them ofexpected delivery date and actual delivery date once the requestedproduct has been built & is ready to ship. Furthermore, the MasterServer 101 has the ability to contact the customer via email or otherautomated system (such as a fax) requesting more information, if theyhave not completed the product order form correctly, or informing themof the ability to continue to customize their order before the product'sproduction commences 122, 123.

Once the requested device is ready to be built in the ProductionDepartment or retrieved from inventory, the Master Database 100 ischecked to confirm if a custom configuration has been requested.Production of the device is then initiated 124, the device being trackedwith the S/N. If no custom configuration request is found, a standardconfiguration of the device 125 is performed and the product is shipped126. If a custom configuration has been requested custom configurationis done, as outlined in the FIG. 9 and described below.

FIG. 8 illustrates a more detailed overview of the preferred embodimentof customer and ordering interaction with the preferred order processinginterface for orders of IED's with custom configurations. As outlined inFIG. 8 the customer first enters the Ordering Page or entrance to theVirtual Meter Site 111 through their browser 110, which is connectedover a network (or the Internet). In one embodiment, the Virtual MeterSite 119 allows the customer to login to a custom screen which givesmore detailed information such as the customer's historical orderinformation, custom and generic/core stored frameworks 115, as describedabove. This secure login provides only this customer access to anystored private information. As above, the customer selects the deviceconfiguration 116, which can be either a new device, cloned from anexisting device 118 or copied from the customer's historical orderswhich is accessible through the Master Server 101. As was describedabove, the order is validated to ensure that the requested configurationis manufacturable/producible. In particular, for cloned configurations,the cloned device may no longer be manufactured or the hardware optionsor custom frameworks may be incompatible or outdated due to technologychanges. As was discussed, the order processing interface 119 mayinclude an order validator designed to flag invalid configurationswhether manually specified by the customer or derived through cloning ofan existing device. Once an invalid configuration is detected, theinterface 119 may present the invalid order back to the customer formodifications, coupled with suggested suitable alternatives to theinvalid aspect or may automatically provide a suitable substitution tomeet the customer's overall requirements.

Once the requested device is ready to be build the Master Database 100is checked to confirm configuration and product production is initiated124. As the product is tracked through production with a tracking ID orS/N a request to the Master Server 101 allows the Custom Configurationof the product 127 before final shipping 126.

FIG. 9 illustrates a preferred embodiment of customer login to theVirtual Meter Site (VMS) 119. The Login Screen 300 allows the customerto login and retrieve their Company information. It also allows forcollection of new customer data 301 and storage of this new userinformation in the Master Database 100. Once the customer has logged inthey are given the ability to Select Product Order Type 302 which allowsthe customer to check the status of a pending order 310, modify apending order 304 or create a new order 500. The customer can check thestatus of a new pending order through the Order Status Screen 310 whichis coupled with the Master Database 100 and retrieves the orderinformation relating to the current status of pending orders. Customerscan also customize an existing order 302 which checks to see if theorder has been built, but not yet shipped. If the order has not shipped,the customer may enter the Customize Order Screen 400 to modify theorder, as described above. If the order has been built the customer isnotified they must issue a Rework Order 303 before proceeding to theCustomize Order Screen 400 and that this may delay shipment. If theorder has not yet been built, the customer may modify the order.

The order type 302 may also be a new order which leads the customer tothe New Order Screen 500. Once the new order data is collected aTracking Number or S/N is issued 305 and associated with the order inthe master database 100 and the customer continues on to the CustomizeOrder Screen 400.

FIG. 10 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the Customize Order Screen400. This Screen consists of an Advanced Setup Screen 410 and a BasicSetup Screen 420. The Virtual Meter screen 401 lists the currentconfiguration of the IED to be ordered.

The Advanced Setup Screen 410 allows the customer to choose severaloptions for customizing the configuration. The customer may choose toconfigure using a previous order 412 which recalls and lists previousorder configurations stored in the Master Database 100. Alternatively orin addition, the customer may choose to select one or more publicframeworks 413 from a library of publicly available custom frameworks.Examples include: General Set, Power Quality (includes Power Frequency,Voltage Magnitude, Flicker, Voltage Dips, Interruptions, Overvoltages,Voltage Unbalance, Harmonic and Interharmonic Voltages) Lonworks™,Datalogging, Modbus Slave and DNP Slave. Both core and custom frameworkscan be also uploaded to this library to share with other users, asdescribed above. Custom framework examples include Current/Voltagemonitoring, Capacitor Bank Controllers and Transformer LossCalculations. Alternatively or in addition, the customer may choose toselect one or more private frameworks 411 which may be either stored inthe Master Database 100 or uploaded by the customer. Private frameworksare visible only to the customer upon secure login and can contain bothcore and custom frameworks.

Further, the customer may choose to clone a previous order 414 stored onthe Master Database 100 or clone an existing installed device using anaddress/identifier provided by the customer. Types of communication,such as direct dial-up, wireless (cellular, Bluetooth, or other wirelesstechnologies), Ethernet, IP or email connections may be used to polldata from a device using protocols such as telephony, SMTP, HTTP,TCP/IP, FTP, XML, etc.

The Advanced accuracy 415 option allows customers to specify orderingoptions complete with current transformer (“CT”) and voltage transformer(“PT”) calibrated systems. For more information, refer to the relatedreferences captioned above.

The Basic Setup Screen 420 allows customers to choose from hardwareoptions such as: Password Security, Polarity of PT and CT, Unit ID, BaudRate, Protocol, Com 1,2,3,&4, CT Primary/Secondary, PT Primary/Secondaryor Volts Mode.

A customer may also Check Order Status 430, allowing the retrieval ofdelivery date and other order data in real time, and Search DifferentOrders 432, allowing them to retrieve old data for previous order whichhave been shipped. Furthermore a customer may also use the Update Order431 function if they are re-configuring an ordered device before it hasbeen shipped, as was described above.

Finally the customer Submits Order 433 which permanently updates theMaster Database 100 with the information tagged to a Tracking ID or S/N.

FIG. 11 illustrates a preferred embodiment of New Order Screen 500. ACustomer may duplicate a Previous Order 510 or select from the ProductList 511 when adding or editing their Current Orders 512. Pricing mayalso be dynamically updated with the use of the Update Order Pricing 520feature as new Ordering Options are chosen from the Product List 511.Once the Submit Order 521 has been requested the collected data ispassed to the Master Database 100 and a Tracking ID or S/N is generated(not shown).

Once delivered to the end-user, similar functionality as described abovemay be used to re-configure or upgrade IED's once installed. For moredetailed information refer to U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/792,701, entitled “SYSTEMS FOR IN THE FIELD CONFIGURATION OFINTELLIGENT ELECTRONIC DEVICES,” captioned above.

Once the order has been submitted, it is passed to manufacturing wherethe specified IED is produced and delivered to the customer. In thisway, the disclosed embodiments permit the custom ordering of IED's whichare built to the specifications of the customer. The embodiments furtherpermit the custom configuration of the IED's prior to delivery such thatthey may be used without further effort of the end-user. While build toorder systems are generally known, these systems typically produce acustom assembly of standard parts and/or software but have no facilityfor integrating custom parts and/or software with the standardofferings. Essentially then only providing discrete, although numerous,products comprising combinations of standard parts. The product stillrequires configuration by the user once received. For example, acomputer manufacturer may offer build to order computers where thecustomer may specify the amount of memory, the hard drive size and theinclusion of a modem. The customer may further specify that they wish tohave certain software installed such as a particular operating system orapplications suite. However, upon receipt of the ordered computersystem, the customer will still have to configure the system to theirliking such as by setting screen saver, password or other preferenceinformation. While the computer system is built to the customer'sspecification, it is not fully configured and ready to use in thecustomer's specific applications upon receipt. The disclosed embodimentsdescribe a build and configure to order system which alleviates the needof the customer to spend time configuring the hardware once they receiveit.

It is therefore intended that the foregoing detailed description beregarded as illustrative rather than limiting, and that it be understoodthat it is the following claims, including all equivalents, that areintended to define the spirit and scope of this invention.

1. A method of processing an order from a customer by a reseller of anelectronic device, said electronic device comprising storage operativeto store software, said method comprising: (a) receiving a configurationfrom said customer by an order processing system, wherein saidconfiguration comprises a first specification identifying software to beinstalled in a first electronic device, including at least a portionthereof to be provided by said customer; (b) receiving by said orderprocessing system, said portion of said software provided by saidcustomer; (c) retrieving a first electronic device from an inventorystock of electronic devices; (d) reconfiguring said storage of saidfirst electronic device based on said software, including at least saidportion thereof received from said customer; and (e) supplying saidfirst electronic device to said customer wherein said first electronicdevice is capable of being utilized by said customer without furtherconfiguration according to said configuration.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein said first electronic device comprises an electrical energymeter.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein said inventory stock comprisesnew and used electronic devices.
 4. The method of claim 1., wherein (a)further comprises: receiving said configuration by an order processingsystem over a network from a network accessible web site.
 5. The methodof claim 1, wherein said software is communicated by said customer tosaid order processing system.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein (a)further comprises: receiving a second specification identifying a secondelectronic device owned by said customer and accessible via a network;and retrieving said configuration from said second electronic device viasaid network.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: (f) storingsaid order in a database coupled with said order processing system, saiddatabase operative to store said configuration and said software for allof said orders placed by said customer.
 8. The method of claim 7,further comprising: (g) receiving, by said order processing system, anidentification of a prior order for a second electronic devicepreviously ordered from said reseller, said prior order being stored insaid database; and (h) retrieving said prior order from said database;and wherein (a) further comprises receiving said configuration from saidprior order.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: (f) assessingat least one need of said customer; (g) recommending a particularconfiguration based on (f);
 10. An order processor for providing anelectronic device from a reseller to a customer, said electronic devicecomprising storage operative to store software, said order processorcomprising: an order receiver operative to receive an order for a firstelectronic device, said order comprising a configuration comprising aspecification identifying software to be installed in said firstelectronic device, including at least a portion thereof to be providedby said customer; a software receiver operative to receive said portionof said software from said customer; a selection interface coupled withsaid order receiver and said software receiver operative to select afirst electronic device from inventory stock; a configuration interfacecoupled with said order receiver and said software receiver operative toreconfigure said storage of said first electronic device based on saidsoftware, including at least said portion thereof received from saidcustomer; a delivery interface coupled with said order receiver andoperative to deliver said order to said customer according to saidconfiguration such that said first electronic device is capable of beingutilized by said customer without further configuration.
 11. The orderprocessor of claim 10, wherein said first electronic device comprises anelectrical energy meter.
 12. The order processor of claim 10, whereinsaid inventory stock comprises new and used electronic devices.
 13. Theorder processor of claim 10, wherein said order receiver is furtheroperative to receive said order via a network coupled with said orderreceiver.
 14. A method of processing an order from a customer by areseller for an electronic device, said electronic device beingcharacterized by at least one model and at least one type, saidelectronic device comprising storage operative to store software, saidmethod comprising: (a) receiving by an order processing system, a firstspecification identifying a first electronic device to be ordered, saidfirst specification identifying a particular one of said at least onemodel and type; (b) receiving by said order processing system, a secondspecification identifying optional hardware to be installed in saidelectronic device; (c) receiving by said order processing system, athird specification identifying software to be installed in saidelectronic device including at least a portion thereof to be provided bysaid customer; (d) receiving by said order processing system, saidportion of said software provided by said customer; (e) providing saidfirst electronic device of said specified particular model and type froman inventory stock maintained by said provider; (f) installing saidspecified optional hardware into said first electronic device; (g)configuring said storage of said first electronic device based on saidsoftware, including at least said portion thereof received from saidcustomer; and (h) supplying said first electronic device to saidcustomer wherein said first electronic device is capable of beingutilized by said customer without further configuration according tosaid first, second and third specifications.
 15. The method of claim 14,wherein said first electronic device comprises an electrical energymeter.
 16. The method of claim 14, wherein said inventory stockcomprises new and used electronic devices.
 17. The method of claim 14,wherein said software is communicated by said customer to said orderprocessing system.
 18. The method of claim 14, wherein said orderprocessing system is coupled with a network, (a) further comprisingreceiving said first specification over said network, (b) furthercomprising receiving said second specification over said network, and(c) further comprising receiving said third specification over saidnetwork.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein at least one of (a), (b),and (c) are performed by an interface coupled with said order processingsystem, wherein said interface comprises a network accessible web site.20. The method of claim 14, wherein (a) further comprises: receiving afourth specification identifying a second electronic device owned bysaid customer and accessible via a network; and retrieving identifiersof a model and type of said second electronic device from said secondelectronic device by said order processing system via said network, saidfirst specification comprising said identifiers.
 21. The method of claim14, wherein (b) further comprises: receiving a fourth specificationidentifying a second electronic device owned by said customer andaccessible via a network; and retrieving identifiers of said optionalhardware installed in said second electronic device from said secondelectronic device by said order processing system via said network, saidsecond specification comprising said identifiers.
 22. The method ofclaim 14, wherein (c) further comprises: receiving a fourthspecification identifying a second electronic device owned by saidcustomer and accessible via a network; and retrieving a copy of saidsoftware installed in said second electronic device from said secondelectronic device by said order processing system via said network, saidthird specification comprising said copy.
 23. The method of claim 14,further comprising: (i) storing said order in a database coupled withsaid order processing system, said database operative to store saidfirst, second, and third specifications and said software for all ofsaid orders placed by said customer.
 24. The method of claim 23, furthercomprising: (j) receiving, by said order processing system, anidentification of a prior order for a second electronic devicepreviously ordered from said reseller, said prior order being stored insaid database; and (k) retrieving said prior order from said database;and wherein (a) further comprises receiving said first specificationfrom said prior order.
 25. The method of claim 23, further comprising:(j) receiving, by said order processing system, an identification of aprior order for a second electronic device previously ordered from saidprovider, said prior order being stored in said database; and (k)retrieving said prior order from said database; and wherein (b) furthercomprises receiving said second specification from said prior order. 26.The method of claim 23, further comprising: (j) receiving, by said orderprocessing system, an identification of a prior order for a secondelectronic device previously ordered from said provider, said priororder being stored in said database; and (k) retrieving said prior orderfrom said database; and wherein said prior order comprises saidsoftware, (c) further comprising receiving said third specification fromsaid prior order.
 27. The method of claim 14, further comprising: (i)assessing at least one need of said customer; (j) recommending aparticular of said at least one model and said at least one type basedon (i); and wherein said first specification is based on (j)
 28. Themethod of claim 14, further comprising: (i) assessing at least one needof said customer; (j) recommending said optional hardware based on (i);and wherein said second specification is based on (j).
 29. The method ofclaim 14, further comprising: (i) assessing at least one need of saidcustomer; (j) recommending said software based on (i); and wherein saidthird specification is based on (j).
 30. A system for processing anorder from a customer by a provider for an electronic device, saidelectronic device comprising storage operative to store software, saidsystem comprising: a server computer; a first interface coupled withsaid server and operative to receive an order comprising a configurationcomprising a first specification identifying software, including atleast a portion thereof to be provided by said customer, to be installedin a first electronic device, said first interface being furtheroperative to receive said portion of said software from said customer;an order generator coupled with said server and operative to generatesaid order for said electronic device from said configuration, saidorder generator being further operative to generate said order includingsaid software and transmit said order to said provider such that saidprovider may configure said storage of said electronic device based onsaid software and provide said electronic device to said customer, saidelectronic device being capable of being utilized by said customerwithout further configuration according to said configuration.
 31. Thesystem of claim 30, wherein said first electronic device comprises anelectrical energy meter.
 32. The system of claim 30, wherein saidinventory stock comprises new and used electronic devices.
 33. Thesystem of claim 30, further comprising receiving said configuration byan order processing system over a network from a network accessible website.
 34. The system of claim 30, further comprising a database coupledwith said server computer and operative to store said software,including said first portion, said interface further operative toretrieve said software from said database.
 35. The system of claim 30,further comprising an electronic device interface operative tocommunicate with at least one electronic device owned by said customerand accessible via a network, said first interface being furtheroperative to receive a second specification identifying a secondelectronic device owned by said customer, said electronic deviceinterface being further operative to retrieve said configuration fromsaid second electronic device over said network.
 36. The system of claim30, further comprising a database coupled with said server computer andoperative to store said configuration for all of said orders placed bysaid customer.
 37. The system of claim 36, further comprising: a secondinterface coupled with said server computer and operative to receive asecond specification identifying a prior order for a second electronicdevice previously ordered from said reseller; said prior order beingstored in said database, said second interface being further operativeto retrieve said prior order from said database and generate saidconfiguration from said prior order.
 38. The system of claim 30, furthercomprising a second interface coupled with said server computer andoperative to assess at least one need of said customer and recommend aparticular configuration based on said assessment, said configurationcomprising said recommendation.